For one week beginning from March 23rd to April 1, Lagos will welcome men,women and children from all races, histories, and cultures, in her mission to animate the past, celebrate the present, and illuminate the future as it opens the biggest festival in Lagos State otherwise known as the Black Heritage Festival 2013 edition.

The festival which is at its 4th edition with the theme  The Black in the Mediterranean Blue will as usual bring out the best from Lagos in the area of exhibitions, dance, drama, boat regatta, beauty pageant and street carnival.

Exhibition of arts and crafts

It will also feature exhibition of arts and crafts, souvenirs from Brazil. It will open on 23rd March at the Freedom Park Lagos and end on 1st of April with a carnival.This was disclosed by the festival consultant, Nobel Laureate , Prof. Wole Soyinka while briefing the press on activities for the 2013 festival.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s festival,  Soyinka stated that Brazil would be the focus for this year’s festival as it would examine how Nigeria and Brazil influence each other while ‘reminding ourselves of our extension and inviting our kinsmen                  h    o        m    e.’
“Our target this year is Brazil,especially when its black culture is a lived reality. It is a spiritual thing which I rarely encounter in the Diaspora. In fact, Brazilians are so emotional about black culture. It is a restoration, analysis and celebration event.

According to the erudite scholar,“we are trying to remind ourselves of our extensions and to invite our people from Diaspora to come here and recover in a very direct and possible way, an enriching way what they have left behind. We want to understand the reason why the closeness we have been developing between Nigeria and Brazil suddenly broke or disappeared. We are planning a big reunion.”

The State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Disun Holloway who stated that the festival has grown in its four years of existence said that The Bring Back Brazil has started working and they are already expecting to receive many visitors to the state.

He also harped on the need for corporate bodies especially those in Lagos State to come and honour the week long event, noting that the October event is a follow up to the March event. “Cultural events has its usefulness in the economy of the people as seen in the last years where the festival has become a medium through which the creativity of designers in Lagos State skill acquisition centres has been showcased.”